Information accuracy and sampling effort: a field study of surgical scheduling coordination

Coordination of dynamic schedules in complex environments requires the sampling of the current status of the system being coordinated. In many such systems that include human components, the requisite status information is unavailable or unreliable. Optimal sampling theory focuses on monitoring a system's status for changes, with limited consideration of future changes or missing information. Models of sampling for coordination and scheduling must consider resolving missing or ambiguous data points. Through field-based observations, we observed that human information-seeking involving this type of sampling balances the need for specific information with the effort required to attain the information, and the accuracy of the information. This paper uses field-based observations of the coordination of operating-room suite activities to demonstrate these factors and discusses communication strategies within the operating room context, as well as implications for technology design to support such work.